The Legend of Aura
by 11JJ11
Summary: *CANCELED!* After discovering some problems with his aura, Ash Ketchum finds himself thrust into the path of becoming aura guardian, and the main focus of a timeless prophecy. With an age-old duty he must finish, and the life of his best friend in danger, he only has the advice of his not-so-trustworthy father, Ash is torn between his duties and friendship. No ships.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! Here is the prologue to my rewrite of Pikachu's Revenge, or now known as the Legend of Aura! If you read PR, I hope you enjoy this rewrite, and if you're new to this story, I hope you enjoy it still! It is a bit shorter than my normal chapter, but this is just a prologue, so enjoy!**

* * *

Within the Tree of Beginnings Mew shuttered, it wasn't just like something felt _off,_ it was like the whole aura of the tree had shifted. The whole atmosphere felt tainted.

Mew was about to go searching to see if something was truly wrong, when a Regirock marched into the cavern. Relief rushed through Mew, the Protectors were always alert, even when centuries went by without intruders.

The Regirock paused, the rock-type golem always seemed off within the tree. Regice and Registeel had a crystal and sleek that matched the natural rock in the cave, something that Regirock lacked. He also didn't have the colorful appearances that the Legendary Beasts and Birds had, but the rock-type was one of the strongest Protectors, never failing Mew in his rotation with the other Legendary Trios as a Protector.

'Hello Regirock,' Mew said, hovering a bit higher, it had been about five years since she had seen one of the Protectors, since they were constantly roaming about the Tree of Beginning and the surrounding lands, while Mew prefered to stay near the Heart of the Tree, mostly taking a quick year or two nap, 'Do you have something to report?'

Mew decided it was best not to report the unnatural feeling she had sensing, since it was probably nothing, and she didn't want to bother the golems with a pointless task, even though a task would probably be welcomed with the long years that past with nothing happening.

Regirock's light-like eyes began to flash. Mew carefully watched the pattern of the lights, attempting to translate the flashes. This was the only way the golems communicated, though they understood Mew's telepathy easily.

Mew frowned, Regirock's lights didn't formed any words that Mew recognized. It was just the same pattern flashing over and over again.

'Regirock, what are saying?' Mew asked, and the lights stop a moment, then started up again. Mew's frown deepened, Regirock's presence felt.. empty.

Mew closed her eyes and slipped into her aura view. Immediately the room, the whole tree's, aura filled her extended sight, with the crystal heart of the tree radiating the brightest aura. Mew focused on Regirock.

Instead of Regirock's usual orange aura, there was a thick layer of black matter in the Regirock's place. Mew looked closer at Regirock, she didn't see the bulky golem, but a slim black shape.

'You're not Regirock...' Mew whispered in alarm.

The imposter leapt forward with much more speed than Mew expected, three claws wrapped around her small body, and slammed her against the back of the cavern. The Illusion of Regirock flickered, and a new Pokemon appeared in its place.

The Zoroark grinned, his red eyes seemed to glow like lava. Mew's eyes widened, and she prepared an Aura Sphere at the tip of her tail, and the Zoroark respond with a close ranged Dark Pulse, stopping the Aura Sphere.

Mew whimpered, and the Zoroark grinned again, she attempted to fire another attack, but the Zoroark's claws began to glow red, and the Night Slash dug into Mew's sides.

"Now Mew," A deeper voice said, "Calm down, I mean you no harm, but if you keep struggling Zorro will attack, and trust me, he will not be merciful."

Mew craned her head to get a view of the speaker. It was a human, a male, maybe in his thirties. He had a soft smile on his face and in his eyes. He would have looked kind if Mew hadn't just heard his threat.

He had dark green hair that was shaggy, but still well kept. His eyes were green as well. His skin was pale, almost white. His outfit was made of black cloth, along with a large black cloak he had wrapped around him.

There was a Luxray by his side, and several men entered the chamber after him, wearing similar apparel. Although his was more extravagant, which lead Mew to believe he was the leader of this small group.

'Who are you?' Mew asked, struggling against the Zoroark's grip.

His smile widened, and his eyes flashed with almost a crazed look, "Now, where are my manners," He swooped into a low bow, "My name is Alexander, but you may call me Zan. I will not take up too much of your time, I'm just here for one thing."

'How did you get in here? The Protectors should have kept you out!' Mew exclaimed.

"Oh, they tried too. The Regice and Registeel put up a good fight, but after a conjoined effort we were able to knock them out. Unfortunately the Regirock was a different story. It refused to give up, poor little guy. We were forced to take its life," Zan said causally, and Mew shivered with the look he gave her.

'You... Y-you k-killed...' Mew stuttered, tears welling up in her blue eyes, then her eyes hardened, 'I take it that "one thing" your here for isn't a good thing then?'

"Depends on your point of view," He replied calmly, and then his eyes flickered to the heart of the tree.

'No! Stop!' Cried Mew as he approached the heart of the Tree of Beginnings, but Zan didn't pay attention, and his Zoroark rewarded Mew with a Night Slash on the head, and a small stream of blood flowed down Mew's face.

Mew's heart began to beat faster and faster, the heart contained the main source of aura for the world, and it was the only link between this world and Arceus's realm, the link that Mew had sworn to guard with her life.

Zan studied the large crystal formation, a huge glowing blue stone, with a stream of aura flowing from a gem on the roof of the cave, the flow of the Time Stream. He climbed up the heart of the tree, and plunged his hand into the Time Stream.

Mew froze, could he be... No, he couldn't know about it...

After a moment he withdrew his hand, holding a small object in his hand. Mew began to tremble in fear.

It was a small amulet, made of obsidian. But small stones were inlaid with in it, of different colors. Zan turned the small trinket in his hand, and a greedy look came over him, "At last," He whispered, "I have it."

'NO!' Mew shouted, '_NO!_ Please, put it back, you don't know- You don't understand what that- It can- You must put it-'

Zan lowered himself back onto the floor, still holding the amulet, and he smirked, "I _do_ understand what this can do. And I plan on using it,' And with that remark he slipped the amulet onto a chain, and looped it around his neck.

Mew didn't know what to do, this man- Zan, was holding the Amulet of Arceus. How he knew of it, Mew had no idea, but if he knew how to use it...

The amulet held great powers, each of the little gems in it were pieces of Arceus's Plates. If the amulet was used under the right circumstances... The wielder of the Amulet could control Arceus himself.

"Don't worry Mew, I can't take full control _yet_," Zan said, fingering the chain, "I of course will need the Alpha Aura Guardian. He's the only one that can open the portal, and of course there is the Pikachu that always seems to accompanies them..."

Mew began to glow, and she released a huge burst of white light. The Explosion attack flung the Zoroark across the room. Mew then launched herself at Zan with a Steel Wing attack. The Luxray leapt in front of him, and sank her fangs into Mew.

Mew was flung to the ground, and the Luxray placed a paw on her, its claws shooting electrical currents into Mew. Mew's vision began to twist, 'No...' She whispered.

"I'll leave you alive for now, since the Aura Guardian will need your power to open the portal, but after that... We'll see."

Mew tried to stand up, her paws shaking, but she could only watch as Zan and his men walked away with the amulet. She collapsed back to the ground, and she lost consciousness, and terror ran through her.

She had failed Arceus once more.

* * *

**Yes, Steel Wing. Mew can learn Steel Wing, since she can learn any TM.**

**I would just like to thank BannanGodis and PikachuLover14, BannanGodis for helping me with coming up for a title name, and Pikachulover14 for helping come up with the prolouge's POV. Thank you so much!**

**Thank you for reading, and please review!**

**-JJ**


	2. Chapter 1

"Aargh!" Ash cried, clamping one hand to his head, and the other to the ferry's railing.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu looked up at his trainer in concern, and Ash gritted his teeth together in pain.

"It's happening again," Ash muttered, opening his eyes a bit, and Pikachu let out a small shudder as he saw the now-familiar blue glow of Ash's eyes, "Come on- don't want- be seen- like this-" Ash sputtered out each word, stiffly making his way to the back of the ferry, Pikachu at his heels.

It was early spring, and the cool temperatures and foggy weather still lingered from winter. Luckily there wasn't that many people on the ferry, giving Ash some peace. Another sharp burst of pain shot through his head, and Ash collapsed to the ground.

Pikachu placed a small paw on Ash's shoulder as the spasm hit Ash. They had started several weeks ago, at first just a short shudder every few days, but it escalated to huge seizures every couple of hours, along with short bursts of blue aura from Ash.

Despite all of Ash's attempts to keep his growing aura powers under control, nothing worked, and every day the spasms got worse, and finally Ash decided to follow his only lead:

A huge wave of aura from the north.

Ash had sensed the unnatural surge of aura several days after his aura went out off control. It was a powerful wave that seemed to be radiating from the Sinnoh Region. Ash had been unsure if it had always been there and he was just now able to sense it, or if it were something new. But when Ash's seizures had become out of control, he had decided to find the source of the aura waves, and maybe even some answers.

Ash and Pikachu had then made their way to Canalave City, in Sinnoh. The aura had seem stronger than ever, but still not the source, which seemed close, but still farther north. With only open ocean in that direction, Ash had booked a ferry to the only place that he knew that was out there, Iron Island.

They now found themselves on that ferry, not far from the island.

"Pikapi, Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted after a few minutes, this spasm was lasting longer than the others had. Ash didn't respond, his eyes were half way open, glowing an eerie blue. Pikachu looked around, unsure if he should get help or not. But then final shudder ran through Ash, and the glow from his eyes faded, and Pikachu let out a sigh of relief.

Ash shakily pushed himself to his knees, hands trembling, "That one was the worst one yet," He muttered, and Pikachu nodded in agreement, "Well then," Ash said, looking out at the foggy ocean, "Let's hope we can get some answers."

* * *

"The next ferry won't come out here for 'bout two hours, sure you'll be fine out here, kid?" The sailor asked Ash as he dismounted the ferry.

"I'll be fine," Ash said, adjusting his hat, looking around the island, everything seemed how it was last time he was, but then again his sight was limited, thanks to the unnatural fog, that like the ocean, covered the island.

"Hm, don't know what brought you out here, kid, never been much out here. Even when those ruins were discovered a few years back, people just don't head out this way. Especially at this time of year," The sailor paused, "Unnatural 'mount of fog we have this year, suppose the weather is as fickle as Lugia's wings, right kid?"

"Yeah," Ash said, not listening to what he was saying.

"Well, ferry here needs to head'on back, see ya 'round kid."

"Bye," Ash automatically responded as the sailor climbed back onto the ferry, and Ash began to hike up the rugged terrain of Iron Island, Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

Ash closed his eyes and hesitantly focused his aura, half expecting it to turn on him, then after a moment he slipped into his aura sight, plunging his surroundings into blue. Ash took a step back, "This is it," Ash said, "The source of that aura is coming from here."

"Pika!" Pikachu said, and Ash felt him leapt off his shoulder, and Ash opened his eyes in time to see Pikachu running off into the fog.

"Pikachu, where are you going?"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu replied, not stopping.

"Wait up!" Ash cried, running after the mouse. Pikachu was much faster though, and soon Ash was just following the fading sound of Pikachu's voice, "Pikachu, come back!"

Ash thought he heard a faint "Pika," but was unsure. Ash stopped, trying to catch his breath, why would Pikachu just run off like that? Ash reached down for one of his Pokeballs.

"Charizard, come out and-" Ash froze, and glanced down, his Pokeballs were gone.

He glanced around, it wasn't just his Pokeballs, but his whole Pokebelt was gone. He knew he had them we he got off the ferry.

"Lu," A voice said from behind Ash, who turned. There was a figure, vaguely humanoid, looking at Ash with a pair of red eyes. In its paws was Ash's belt, "Rio."

"A Lucario," Ash muttered, glancing at it, "Wha- Hey! Come back!" The Lucario turned and ran with Ash's Pokeballs. Ash started after it, paused, and looked back at the way Pikachu had ran off, which was in the opposite direction of the Lucario, "Stay safe," Ash said, then ran after the Lucario.

It was waiting for him at the bottom of the hill, still watching him with the unblinking eyes, "Car," It said, gesturing to Ash for him to follow, then once more it turned and ran into the fog.

"Wait!" Ash shouted, "Give me back my Pokemon!"

It didn't stop, but turned a bit, and ran up a hill. It was running just fast enough so Ash could barely see it at the edge of the the fog. _I wish you would have stayed with me Pikachu. I need you right now!_

The Lucario was once again waiting for him as Ash caught up, and Ash stopped, watching it. The Lucario didn't move. "Hey," Ash called to it, "Can I have my Pokeballs back?"

The Lucario shook its head, "Lu."

"Do you want me to follow you?"

A nod.

"Then give me back my Pokeballs, I'll still follow you," Ash said, taking a step towards it. The Lucario shook its head again, and took a step back.

"Will you give me my Pokeballs back after you take me to... wherever you're going?" Ash asked.

The Lucario looked at the belt in its paws, then at Ash, and shrugged. It wasn't a simple gesture, the it truly didn't know if its master would return the Pokemon to the boy.

"Then I won't follow you," Ash said defiantly.

The Lucario raised an eye, and looked at Ash doubtfully, then continued its trek into the fog. Ash let out a curse and scrambled after the Lucario.

The Lucario increased its speed and got far ahead, to the point were Ash could no longer make it out in the fog. Ash stopped once more, "Pikachu? Can you hear me? I need you!"

No reply.

Ash thought for a moment, then entered his Aura View. The extended sight allowed Ash to find the Lucario quickly, thanks to its powerful aura. It was about fifty feet (About fifteen meters) ahead of Ash, still watching him. Still watching through his Aura View, Ash stumbled in Lucario's direction. It stayed where it was, watching.

A faint stab of pain blossomed at the base of Ash's skull. He wasn't use to using his aura for this long. Ash slipped out of his Aura View. He was now close enough to see it with his regular sight, and the Lucario retreated out of sight, running. Ash gritted his teeth, and slipped into his Aura View again, trying to track it. Didn't it want him to follow?

The process repeated once more, the Lucario staying out of sight, causing Ash to have to depend on his Aura View to find the Lucario. It Lucario didn't seem to be in a hurry either. Ash winced in pain as he prolonged his use of his Aura View.

_Is it testing me?_ Ash thought as the Lucario scrambled away as Ash slipped into his regular sight. _It only let's me approach it if I'm using aura..._

Ignoring his pounding headache, Ash used his Aura View, and went after the Lucario. It was standing next to a large bolder, and this time Ash stayed in his Aura View as he came closer. It didn't flee.

He was closer than ever, about ten feet (three meters) away from it. The Lucario sent a small pulse of aura at him, and Ash suddenly felt approval. The Lucario had transferred its emotions into Ash, letting him know that this is what it wanted him to do.

Ash was now next to the Lucario, his head now screaming at him, but he kept his Aura View up, not wanted the Lucario to run off again. The Lucario took off at a brisk pace, signaling for Ash to come with it.

"No-" Ash said, letting out a small groan, "Walk, please?" Ash asked, and for the first time the Lucario showed some emotion, concern, then it nodded, and began to walk. Ash followed slowly behind, he didn't know how much longer he could continue using his aura like this-

"Car," The Lucario said, and sent another pulse of aura at Ash, this time causing him to feel relaxed. Ash took this to mean that he could stop using his Aura View, and he returned to his regular sight, causing the pounding headache to fade to just a small annoyance.

Ash collapsed on to a rock, rubbing his head, panting. Though he didn't extend himself physically to use his aura, he still felt like he had ran a marathon.

"Rio," The Lucario said, and Ash looked up. The Lucario pointed with its paw to a cave, then strolled in itself.

After a moments hesitation, Ash followed it inside.

* * *

**By the way, Pikachu didn't run off for no reason, you'll find out why next chapter!**

**And here are some replies from the prolouge:**

**Pikachulover14: Yes, this story will have several changes. I don't know if I'll bring back Grace or not, we'll see.**

**Uranium235: Yes, Mew was defeated easialy, there's a reason for that. It will be explained in a future chapter.**

**PsychicEevee0103: Yep, this story will be different from Pikachu's Revenge, but I hope the changes will be for the better.**


	3. Chapter 2

Ash cautiously entered the cave after the Lucario. The cavern itself was nothing special, just made of the same rocks as island. In the center of the cavern there was a hole that resembled a fire pit.

There was no fire in the pit though, but the light from outside was pouring into the cave, even with the fog, so there was probably no need for a fire.

The grinding of a rock caused Ash to look behind him. The Lucario, faintly glowing red, was shoving a large rock in front of the cave entrance by using Strength, sealing them inside. The Lucario looked up at him, and Ash took a step back.

"Hello Ash," A voice said behind him, and Ash wheeled back around.

Sitting on a rock in front of the empty fire pit was a man. He was wearing blue, and a blue hat laid off to his side. He had messy raven black hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to pierce through the crisp air.

Ash frowned, the whole cave now seemed to lit up with blue. Ash's gaze flickered to the fire pit.

Floating above the pit was a blue orb radiating a bright light, Ash didn't know how he had missed it before. Perhaps it was only visible in the dark. Ash slipped into his Aura View, and was overcome by sheer wave of aura radiating from the orb, which was engulfing the whole cave in his Aura View. Ash's headache returned in full force, ripping Ash from his Aura View.

Ash stumbled back, and would have fallen on the floor, but the Lucario caught him. The Lucario propped him back on his feet. Ash noticed his Pokebelt around its arms, and made a grab for it, but the Lucario sped away, becoming a temporary blur, and reappeared next to the man.

Extreme Speed.

The Lucario set his Pokebelt next to the man, looking at Ash, as if daring him to come closer.

"It's a little overwhelming, I wouldn't recommend viewing your surroundings with aura while its lit," The man said, nodding towards the aura orb, "Please, have a seat," The man pointed to a rock across from him, which would place the orb between them.

Ash didn't move, "Who are you?"

The man smiled, "You don't recognize me? Well, it has been six years since last time we've seen each other, and it was for less for a day. But I did save your life, so one would think that you would recognize me. Perhaps this would help," The man placed his hat on his head, and looked up at Ash.

He did seem familiar, all though his apparel looked like he had stepped out of Sir Aaron's time. The gold chain around his neck even had the same symbol as Sir Aaron's gloves. Ash glanced at the man, the Lucario, and the aura orb.

Lucario... Aura... Iron Island... Ash thought for a moment, trying to grasp the name of the Aura Guardian he had met on Iron Island years before, "Riley," Ash said after a moment.

Riley nodded, "Correct, now please, take a seat. I didn't have you come to Iron Island only to play guessing games."

"Why did he take my Pokemon?" Ash said, gesturing to the Lucario, "Why did he bring me here?"

"'He' took your Pokemon and brought you here on my orders, I wanted to talk to you alone," Riley glanced at the Lucario, "But 'he' is actually a she, her name is Aerin."

"'Alone?'" Ash muttered, thinking, then looked at Riley suspiciously, "Does that mean that you know why Pikachu ran off?"

"Maybe," He shrugged.

"Where is he?" Ash growled.

Riley looked at him, thinking, then said, "Your Pikachu is currently on the north side of the island, battling a Steelix. Now sit."

"_What?"_

Riley waved a dismissive hand, "One of my Pokemon is with him, and she is strong. Don't worry. Now sit down."

"You think that I am just going to-"

Riley's eyes flashed blue dangerously, "_Sit."_

Ash slowly sat down in front of the aura orb, across from Riley, not taking his eyes off the Aura Guardian or his Pokeballs.

"Good, now we can talk. I was wondering when you'd show up here."

"How did you know I was coming here?" Ash asked a bit harshly, but it only caused Riley to smile.

Riley glanced at the aura orb, "I didn't know, but I made this in hopes that you would sense it. You did, though it took you longer than I had hoped."

Ash looked at the orb, so it was the source of the aurawave he had been sensing.

Ash eyes flickered to his Pokeballs, "I sensed it several weeks ago, about the same time my aura began... acting out."

Riley raised an eyebrow, "'Acting out'? Please, explain."

"Um... About three weeks ago... My aura would surface... just, I dunno, react, I guess. It wasn't too bad, at first. Just small little shutters and maybe a few blue sparks of aura. Then it got worse as time progressed. I get these seizures, I just lose consciousness and my aura just takes over. From what I've gathered it seems like my eyes start to glow and sometimes I let out these burst of aura. Of course I don't know everything about what happens, I just feel a huge a wave of pain then everything goes blue. Pikachu is really the only one who knows about this, Mom would freak out if she saw-"

"Your mother- She knows nothing of this?" Riley broke in suddenly, eyes gleaming with interest.

"Um- yeah, is that... wrong?" Ash replied, slightly confused.

Riley shook his head, "No, no. It's just fine. For the best, probably, sorry, please continued."

"Well, that's about it. It just keeps getting worse, the last one lasted a couple of minutes. Do you know what's going on? Is this normal? Can I stop it?" Ash asked, looking at the Aura Guardian.

Riley held out his hand towards Ash, and his eyes began to glow blue once more. Ash shivered and Riley frowned, and Ash realized he was scanning his aura. Ash shifted uncomfortably, it felt like a cold wind was surrounding him.

Riley pulled his hand back, and the glow from his eyes faded, along with the strange chill. Riley looked at Ash in a strange way for a moment, thinking.

"W-well?"

"Mm?" Riley asked, "Oh, well, someone has placed a seal on your aura. Your aura should have unlocked on your tenth birthday, but it was delayed."

"A seal?"

Riley leaned back, "An advanced Aura Guardian can place a seal on a future Aura Guardian, usually one that is younger than ten. This causes their aura to be sealed inside of them. Sometimes one can break through a seal at important times, or eventually, like with you, the aura becomes so powerful that the aura tries to break through, which explains these seizures you have been having."

"But I can call on my aura when I want to," Ash replied.

"You are what, sixteen now? Your aura should have been unlocked at ten. By now your aura is so strong that it is easy to call on your aura through the seal. Though the aura you manipulate is just a tiny fraction of the power you truly hold, if the seal were removed... you would have amazing powers."

"So this 'seal' is causing the seizure?" Ash asked, and Riley nodded, "Then how can I get it removed?"

"The person who placed the seal can remove it quite easily."

"Who is...?"

"In most cases when a seal is placed it is a father placing it on his son. Aura is inherited through the father to the oldest son. In many cases, to keep their son from out classing them the father would place a seal on the aura, and remove later, usually. Though any advanced aura user could remove it with some work and time," Riley smiled, "There are many good stories about a son having another guardian remove his seal, then taking revenge on his father. Lesser Guardians, of course. They don't exist anymore, died out."

"So you're saying that my father could use aura? And what do you mean by 'lesser' Guardians?" Ash thought for a moment, "You can use aura, can you remove my seal?"

"So many questions. Yes, your father could use aura, or else you would have no aura yourself. Lesser Guardians were people that were gifted with aura, but weren't descendants from the first Aura Guardian. Arceus ordered their extinction years," Riley's eyes grew dark, "And probably ours too if he didn't _need_ us," The last part was almost a growl, but then Riley stopped, and shook his head, "But that is another story."

"The First Guardian? And what does Arceus have to do with aura? And 'ours'? How are we different from the lesser Guardians? And you didn't answer my question about the seal! Can you remove it or not?"

Riley held up a hand, stopping him, "Slow down. Like I said, it is another story, a very long one at that. And about your seal, yes, I do have the ability to remove it. But I will not remove it."

"Sorry about asking another question," Ash said uncertainly, "But why will you not remove the seal?"

Riley looked back at Ash, "Because you would probably destroy yourself. Perhaps if you would have never had a seal you could've learned to control the power, but I guess I was selfish on my part. If I were to remove the seal now you would become overwhelmed with the unnatural amount of power you would be wielding, even for an Aura Guardian."

Ash took in these words, thinking, "So I have more power than usual, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes."

"Why is that? Why am I different?"

Riley sat up, looking at Ash in the eye, "Because _you_ are the Alpha Aura Guardian."

"'Alpha' Aura Guardian...? What's that?"

Riley refocused his attention on the aura orb, "You hold a vast amount of aura in you. The very same aura that Arceus used to form this planet, a power that Arceus still on depends on," Riley looked back up at Ash, "When I said Arceus needed 'us', he really needs you."

Ash shivered.

"The youngest Aura Guardian always holds the title as 'Alpha' Guardian, but it is rarer for the world to actually _need_ him," Riley's eyes grew serious, "Now is one of those times."

"Need? What do you mean by that?"

Riley smiled, "It's still a long story. But we have time, don't we? It all has to do with the very first Aura Guardian, but it goes back even before, back when the earth was still just a rock in the middle of nothing. Perhaps even before that."

Riley's hand began to glow faintly, and he swept it to the side, and the aura orb lost its circular shape, now it was just a blue mist, filling the cave, surrounding them.

"It started when Arceus was formed, back when the world had no shape..."

* * *

**Chapter two took longer to do than I thought it would, and it also didn't end where I'd like to, but oh well. I also wanted to do some of Pikachu's POV, but... yeah. But in this chapter we get a new character (Well, not so new if you have read PR,) Riley, the Aura Guardian from Iron Island (Episode Steeling Peace of Mind). He will be an important character later on, but for now he is explaining important elements in the story.**

**We also learn that Ash is the "Alpha Aura Guardian", which was also mentioned by Zan in the prologue. What this truly means we'll find out in other chapters, but this chapter explains that it is always the youngest Aura Guardian, and the Alpha Aura ****Guardian has a very powerful aura.**

**Here are some replies from the last chapter reviews:**

**PsychicEevee0103: Yes, this story will still share similarities with PR, but this story just starts a bit early in the time line, and will have a more developed plot and a few different characters.**

**Thank you for all the follows and favorites!**

**-JJ**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter three! This chapter is a bit shorter, but it is all Pikachu's POV. I wanted to have some of Pikachu's POV last chapter, but then it would have been WAY to long, and I had enough for another small chapter, so here it is. This is what Pikachu has been up to, enjoy:**

* * *

The powerful Earthquake attack rumbled across the clearing, the tremors hitting Pikachu, flinging him across the field, smacking him into one of the many boulders on Iron Island. The Steelix dove into the ground before Pikachu could recover, and surfaced right below him.

The rock shattered as the Iron Head hit, and then Pikachu, sending him flying once more across the field. Pikachu struggled to his feet, a small trail of blood running from his paw. No, this wasn't right. Battles shouldn't maim like this.

Pikachu ignored his foot, and sped towards the Steelix with a Quick Attack, then leapt at it with Iron Tail, aiming for a chink in its neck. The Steelix intercepted with its own Iron Tail, then wrapped Pikachu up with a powerful Bind attack, the pressure squeezing Pikachu, "Chuuu!"

Pikachu instinctively let out a Thunderbolt, but the ground-type Steelix simply coiled tighter, the electric-type move doing nothing to it. The Steelix proceeded to slam the small mouse to the ground, and flicked it away with his tail.

Pikachu looked up at the Steelix towering over him, but didn't move. What was the point? This was a battle he couldn't win, and running had already proven to be pointless. What else could be do besides wait for Ash to come?

'Get up and fight,' The Steelix rumbled after a minute.

Pikachu didn't move.

'FIGHT!' The Steelix roared, and rushed towards Pikachu with a Double-Edge attack, slamming into Pikachu with a sickening _crack._

'Acel, stop!' A feminine voice shouted.

The Steelix ignored the shout, and readied Iron Tail right above Pikachu.

'Acel, STOP!' A yellow blur rushed past the Steelix, materializing in front of Pikachu, and a blue energy shield appeared in front of it, just as the Iron Tail came.

The Iron Tail rebounded off the the energy shield with a _ping_.

Pikachu looked up at his rescuer. The female Pikachu stopped what looked like a Protect move, and glared up at the Steelix, 'You idiot! You're supposed to fight him, not kill him!'

The Steelix, Acel, looked down at the female Pikachu in annoyance, 'He won't fight. I am teaching him a lesson, so move aside Penny.'

A blue sphere appeared at the end of Penny's tail, 'That is not your assignment,' The Pikachu growled, she leaped up into the air, and fired the Aura Sphere at the Steelix. Acel groaned, glaring at Penny, looking like he was about to attack her, but he paused, then backed up, 'Are you okay?' Penny asked, turning back to Pikachu.

A large gash ran down Pikachu's left side, blood pouring from it. Pikachu regarded her for a moment, 'Take me back to Ash!' Pikachu snarled at Penny, and probably would have leapt at her if it wasn't for his injury.

She approached him, her front paws glowing white, 'Hold still,' She ordered, laying her paws on his injured side. Pikachu twitched, but didn't move as her paws began to glow brighter. Pikachu's whole body began to glow.

The glow faded, and she backed away. Pikachu glanced down at himself, the cut in his paw was completely healed, and his side no longer hurt. He looked down at the gash, it was healed, but a long, jagged scar still remained, and blood still coated his side.

'I'm sorry, Wish can only heal so much,' Penny explained, 'It is a mild healing move, nothing like a Chansey and human medication could do. The scar will permenant... sorry,' She said, hanging her head.

Pikachu stood up slowly, glancing at the female Pikachu and the Steelix, 'Take me back to Ash,' Pikachu repeated.

Penny shook her head, 'I can't yet, sorry.'

'Why you-!'

'Look! This was not my idea! I am just acting on my master's orders!' Penny exclaimed, frustrated.

Pikachu looked at her, and growled, cheeks sparking, 'I don't care what your "master "said! I don't know how I got here, but I'm not going to just do whatever you want me too! One minute I was with Ash, then I was here and this crazed Steelix was attacking me! I don't know how I got here, but I'm leaving!'

'Why don't I show you who's the crazed one!' The Steelix roared, preparing to attack.

'Acel, stop!' Penny snapped, and she turned back to Pikachu, 'I reason you don't remember how you got here is because I manitupated your aura, causing you to come here alone. We needed to test your aura and battle capabilities, which is why you need to battle Acel until I'm satisfied with your skills.'

'What if I don't?' Pikachu said, eyeing them.

Penny sighed, 'Then you'll have more scars to add to your collection.'

Pikachu hesitated, 'Where's Ash?'

'He's being tested himself.'

Pikachu's eyes widened, 'If you've hurt one hair on him I'll- I'll-' Pikachu shook with rage. Who were these Pokemon? His "tests" had left him permanently scared, then what could be happening to Ash?

'Hmm...' Penny looked Pikachu up and down, 'You are protective, which is good, but yet you've shown no aura skills... You should have unlocked them by now.'

'Fight me,' Pikachu snapped.

She gave him a bewildered look, 'Wha- what?'

Pikachu lowered himself into a charging position, 'You said you wanted to "test" my batting skills, well, here's your chance. You seem to be in charge around here, well, besides your "master". All I know is that you took me from Ash, and that he could be in trouble, so I wouldn't mind battling you. If I win, you take me back to Ash, no questions asked. If I lose... then I'll do your stupid little test! Or are you just going to keep hiding behind the Steelix?'

'You little runt! I'll tear you to shreds!'

'Shut up Acel,' Penny said, and she looked at Pikachu, 'Very well, I accept your challenge. But I'm warning you, I am not push over. Do not face me with overconfidence.'

Pikachu smirked, 'You're the one that's being overconfident.'

She took up a battle position, 'I was just giving you a warning, and here's another, I will not be holding back,' She glanced back at the Steelix, 'Stay out of the way of this battle, Acel.'

The Steelix snorted, but retreated a reasonable distance for the battle, 'Finish him quickly, he's annoying.'

'After you,' Penny said, nodding at Pikachu.

Pikachu studied her, she did seem powerful, but he should be able to take her on. He had beaten several Raichus, taken down a mega Lucario, heck, he'd even tied with a Latios! Now every battle wasn't a piece of cake, but this one should be a win.

He prepared Quick Attack and rushed towards Penny. She didn't move for a second, then suddenly she became a blur, reappearing behind Pikachu, hitting him with Thunder. Pikachu winced, but wheeled around to face her, releasing a Thunderbolt.

She took the Thunderbolt without a flinch, then leapt at Pikachu, fist glowing white. The Mega Punch attack hit Pikachu in the jaw, sending him flying back. Pikachu rubbed his jaw, then sped back at her with Iron Tail.

She suddenly became a blur, and came racing towards Pikachu, who tried to step side, but was hit straight on with her sheer speed.

'That is the fastest Quick Attack I've ever seen,' Pikachu muttered, once again rising to his feet.

'That was not a Quick Attack, that was Extreme Speed, which is faster and much more powerful,' She said, a blue sphere forming on her tail, a move which Pikachu did recognized.

'Aura Sphere,' He muttered, preparing Electro Ball. They both fired the attack, which collided in mid air, and Pikachu used the moment to go after her. _Extreme Speed and Aura Sphere? What other foreign attacks does she have?_

He slammed the Iron Tail into her stomach, tossing her to the side. Pleased with his newfound advantage, he went after her with a combination of Iron Tail and Electro Ball.

She sat up, her eyes glowing green. Two blades of grass sprouted up in front of Pikachu, wrapping around his legs, tripping him. The grass began to faster, binding him in place. Pikachu tried to fight off the Grass Knot, to no avail.

Penny turned and began to tunnel into the ground, vanishing.

_Snap, Dig, a ground type move._ Pikachu thought, still trying to rip off the grass, then he got an idea. Closing his eyes, he fired up Volt Tackle.

The ground erupted beneath him, and Penny rose up, slamming into him. Pikachu quickly release the energy from Volt Tackle, forcing the electrical current into her. Penny yelped in surprise, and the green glow from her eyes faded, along with the grass binding Pikachu.

Pikachu readied Iron Tail, and brought it straight down on her. The Iron Tail sung down, and rammed into a blue force shield, almost like Protect... No...

Aura.

Penny's paws were glowing blue as she controlled the aura. An Aura Sphere formed between her paws, and she fired it through the shield, and hit Pikachu.

'This battle is now over,' She said, racing towards him with Extreme Speed, paws glowing with Mega Punch, striking Pikachu several times.

She stopped, looking at Pikachu. He struggled to his feet, electricity sparking from his cheeks. He fired a Thunderbolt at her, which she stepsided. Pikachu's movements seemed slow and Slugma-ish. He was worn down, but the determination shown in his eyes.

Penny shook her head, 'You are determined, yes, but stubborn. You're acting like a newly hatched Pichu that learned Thundershock, honestly, how old are you?'

Pikachu ignored her question, and prepared Iron Tail, 'Sorry if I'm stubborn, or maybe I just want to be with my best friend!'

Penny dodged the Iron Tail with ease, 'I have traveled and battled for nearly thirty years, and I have learned that there is somethings you don't give up on, and other things you need to learn how to quiet. If I was go to keep you permanently from your master, then I wouldn't blame you for not giving up. But I'm not, but if you keep this up, then you're going to get hurt. And what will that accomplish?'

'Ash. Is. Not. My. Master,' Pikachu growled, anger showing, 'I have traveled with him for six years, and those have been the most amazing moments of my life. But not once, _ever_, has he been my master! He is my best friend, and I'm not going to lay down when I still have a chance to win!' Pikachu prepared Volt Tackle, and rushed at Penny with the last of his strength.

Penny blinked in surprise, then darted to the side as Pikachu rushed by, and slammed a powerful Iron Tail on the back of his head. Pikachu stumbled forward, falling to the ground, knocked out cold.

'About time,' Acel rumbled, 'He was more annoying than Aerin when she was battling that Camerupt.'

Penny approached Pikachu, laying a paw on his neck, feeling a faint pulse. She rolled the unconscious Pikachu onto his back.

Penny smiled, and prepared Wish and began healing Pikachu, 'Very determined, indeed. We may have hope yet.'

* * *

**So we meet Penny and Acel, who are two of Riley's Pokemon.**

**So if it wasn't clear, Pikachu didn't run off. Riley's Pikachu (Penny) manipulated his aura, which caused him to run off. Pikachu has no memory of running off.**

**Also, Pikachu may seem a bit rude in this chapter, but imagine you woke up not knowing where you were, being forced to fight, and knowing your best friend might be in danger.**

**Replies:**

**PikachuLover14: Sorry, Pikachu didn't beat the Steelix... Riley is a very powerful trainer, he's been training for nearly twenty years.**

**PsychicEevee0103: Thank you! :D**

**remisolleke: I promise this story will be finished, even if it takes several years! (I hope not!) :D**

**Thank you for all of the other reviews too! :D :D :D**

**-JJ**


	5. Chapter 4

**I'm back! I've been kind of ignoring this story! SORRY! _But _I'm far from done with it! I just wasn't in the mood to write it, but I am now! Replies from previous chapters:**

Hmm: **Nope, not a dead fic!**

FanFictionWriter123: **Thanks!**

Uranium235: **Keep in mind that Pikachu was blinded by his anger and acting rashly. Penny also surprised with with powerful moves like Extreme Speed and her ability to use aura. She also twisted Pikachu's aura, so he wasn't quite himself. In any other time or place Pikachu could have won or come close to it, but the circumstances gave Penny the edge. Also he was battling a Steelix that wanted to kill him moments before... so yeah. Pikachu lost, but just keep in mind that this won't be Pikachu's last battle with Penny... (No more spoilers!) But yes, Pikachu's lost was a bit harsh. :(**

* * *

"It started when Arceus was formed, back when the world had no shape," Riley began, and Ash shivered. It wasn't from the temperature, but something within his aura himself shuttered. The remains from the aura orb turned into a bright glowing blue mist, swirling around the cave. The mist didn't just flow around Ash, but it went right through his body, touching his aura. Riley paused, looking at Ash, and continued when Ash said nothing.

"First he formed the elements, he collected these elements into plates. After this was done, he began to use these elements to form other realms. One realm was to be firm, and unchanging, and ever progressing, like Steel. The other was to change and flow, but still progress, like Water. He formed this two realms, calling them Time and Space."

The blue mist suddenly changed direction, as if responding to Riley's words. It collected it the air between Riley and Ash, and it began to form shapes.

"He created Guardians to watch over the realms, Dialga and Palkia. They were never to meet or cross paths, but to still draw energy from one another. Using this energy, Arceus began to organize two remaining forces, matter and antimatter. These forces were powerful, able to take on dozens of forms and shapes. Infinite possibilities."

The blue mist slowly began to form into two towering shapes, which Ash recognized, Dialga and Palkia. The mist scattered once more, waiting to take on another shape.

"Arceus decided that antimatter was too unpredictable and dangerous to form with, so he created a Guardian to watch over it, using the element of Ghost so he would be untouchable. This Guardian was called Giratina. Giratina was to use antimatter to keep matter balanced and pure, but still sealing antimatter in the Reverse World."

Ash swallowed the many questions that were bouncing around in his head, and focused on the blue mist, which was forming into images of the story that Riley was telling, currently in the shape of Giratina.

"With the other realms finished, Arceus turned to the last force, matter. While drawing on the elements, and the other realms, Arceus began to shape with them. He began by sending a pillar down, the first branch in this world. Arceus also created a Guardian for this world, her name was Mew. Unlike the other Guardians, she didn't rule her realms with great power and authority. Instead she was like a gatekeeper, guarding the way between the Tree of Beginnings and the Hall of Origin. But she also had the power to wield aura, unlike the other guardians. She used this power to maintain balance within the gateway, the Tree of Beginnings.

"Mew was to guard the way between the Hall of Origin, where Arceus resided, and the Tree of Beginnings. From the power of aura many other creatures were formed, which earned the title 'legendaries'. These creatures made the earth livable, Groudon creating land, Kyogre creating sea, and Rayquaza the air. Celebi caused time to flow, Meloetta created sound, Shaymin purified the plants, and Manaphy cleanse the water.

"Many other legendaries took part in forming the world, more than I can name. But when all was said and done, the land was livable. Using the DNA from Mew, Arceus sent out a creature he called Mon. These creatures, while having not as much power as the legendaries, still had power over the elements.

"Arceus had high hopes for these creatures, Mon were intelligent. They could feel, understand, and dream. Arceus wanted them to progress, but he forgot one thing. He forgot to give them the desire. They lacked the desire to learn, to grow, to progress. These creatures survived, but they never thrived. They became content with what they had.

"Centuries passed, and nothing progress. Arceus became impatient, and decided to introduce a new species. A species that had the desire to learn and to grow. He called this creature man. Man had no elemental power, but they had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, they always wanted to know why, and how. They wanted a better life, they wanted to understand and progress.

"This is what Arceus needed, this creature was to lead the Mons to a better tomorrow. By using man's mind and Mon's power this world was to grow," Riley's eyes grew distant, "But that's not what happened."

"The Mon, which we know today as Pokemon, didn't accept these new creatures. Man, or humans, became prideful and felt that they didn't need the power Pokemon had. A great war broke out in the land, Pokemon against humans. The war was great and horrible, bodies strung the land. The rivers and lakes became tainted with blood. Clans and armies formed, attacks could happen at any time.

"Pokemon used their elemental powers, while humans invented weapons and forts to fight back. Thousands, _millions_, died. Arceus watched the bloodshed in horror, and tried to call for the legendaries to stop the fighting, but even they could not break it up. The hate for each other had grown to vast, the two creatures only wanted to destroy one another," Riley closed his eyes, bowing his head.

"Arceus soon cried to the legendaries to retreat. If war was what Mon and man wanted, then let them have it. Let them fight it out, he said, let the surviving species be the one to have the land. So the legendaries retreated, and the fighting returned full force, and even worse than before, but Arceus and the legendaries turned a blind eye on the fighting, to the bloodshed, to the killings.

Riley opened his eyes, "Except for one."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Mew trembled, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. Regice and Registeel were behind her, keeping a respectable distance as she placed a small paw on the fallen Pokemon.

'Thank you Regirock,' She whispered, 'You... you gave everything to the Tree, to me. You gave your very life to protect the Tree, now, rest in peace.'

Mew's paws lit up with blue flames, and she laid both of her paws on the dead Regirock. For a moment, nothing happened, but then the Regirock's body became covered in glowing blue lines and symbols. An ancient language that not even Mew could read, but she knew that it meant. It was Regirock's life story, his legacy.

Mew let out a small whimper, but continued with the ritual, and she expanded the flames on her paws. The fire leapt from her to the glowing lines, lighting the golem's body in flames. The fire spread, consuming the whole body.

'Let Arceus receive your aura, and rejoice in your return to his domain. Let the world remember the name of the great protector: Regirock,' Mew chanted, her eyes glowing blue as she raised her paws upward.

The flames flared up one more time, and with a bright flash, vanished, and Regirock's body turned to ash. The glow from Mew's eyes faded, and she looked down at where the golem's body had been.

A small gray orb sat in earth, speckled in orange flecks. Mew floated down, picking it up with in her small paws. She rocked it close to her body, trying not to cry. She was a Guardian, she didn't cry.

She saw several flashes of light behind her, and she turned. Regice flashed the message again.

'What will we do now?' She translated, and a bitterness entered her voice, 'Do what we always do, move on! Pretend this never happened! Wait for Regigigas to create another Regirock, to- to replace him!' Mew screamed, her paws gripping the gray orb tightly.

Registeel flashed another message.

'I don't care!' Mew shouted, 'I don't care that you three knew the risks! This is my fault, _this is all my fault!'_

"_Icceeeee..."_ Regice let out a mournful moan, then flashed a message once more.

Mew ignored him, 'This is my fault, I became too content. I thought no one would dare attack us, I slackened in watching the borders of the Tree. I am the Guardian here, the Protectors are my responsibility, but yet I let him get hurt- no- _killed!'_ She sniffled, 'My job is the watch over the portal between earth and the Hall of Origin, but intruders got in. I'm suppose to guard the Amulet of Arceus and-,' She hiccuped, '-And it was... stolen right in front of me.'

She sank to the ground, hugging the orb as if it were her lifeline, 'I'm a failure.'

Registeel stepped forward, but Mew vanished in a flash of light, teleporting away. Registeel turned to Regice, showing as much concern as a golem could.

Mew reappeared in the Tree, right by the heart. The giant blue crystal began to glow in response her her aura. Mew flew towards it, placing the gray orb at its base. These orbs were very rare- the remains of a legendaries power after they died. Legendaries as the same species could often use these orbs to power themselves up.

Mew hadn't seen many of these orbs. She knew that Kyogre and Groudon could call of the power of the first Weather Guardians with the Red and Blue orbs. While other Pokemon, like the Eon Duo, would literally store their spirits in their orb, the Soul Dew. Some of the more powerful species, like Zekrom and Reshiram, wouldn't die, but simply store their power within the orb until they were summoned once more.

In the millenniums she had spend as Guardian, she had only lost four Protectors. Regirock, and the first Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. They had been slain by the first Aura Guardian. Their orbs, the Fire, Ice, and Lightning Orbs, had spent a short time in position, but Lugia had taken them soon after.

'Regirock...' Mew muttered, and she couldn't hold it back anymore. A small tear rolled down her cheek, hitting the warm stone floor below.

The Tree of Beginnings whirled with energy as the tear fell. It could sense the sheer amount of power within the tear. The rock where the tear rested temporarily vanished, letting the tear sink into the tree without Mew noticing.

The Tree studied the tear, within it was small spark of... aura. Confusion flowed through the Tree, so much power in one tear. Mew's sorrow, pain, guilt, anger, hopelessness, and fear. The Tree knew this power was strong, but it could be dangerous, it quickly move in to destroy the negative energy.

_Stop._

The Tree froze as it heard the voice, it was the voice of the Original One.

_Do not harm the tear, preserve it. What it contains now is Mew's weakness, but one day it shall be her strength._ The Original One said, _It will extend her power to a new form._

The Tree shuttered, but obeyed, surrounding the tear with a layer of protective energy. The tear began to solidify under the pressure of the Tree and energy, hardening into a gem. The Tree studied the tear once more, and saw that the Original One was right, this tear- gem- would bring Mew untold powers.

_Mega._

*/*/*/*/

Once Mew began to cry, she couldn't stop. Her small paws moved to wipe them away, shaking. She lowered herself to the ground, her tail brushing against one of the many time flowers in the tree. The flower opened as her aura activated it, and Mew looked up as a scene played before her.

_Ash and Lucario standing in front of a Mew, her, giving up their aura, "I'm not going to give up!" Ash cried, his aura being torn from his body. Lucario groaning, in the same pain, glancing at Ash, and with the last of his strength, shoving Ash way before his aura was completely consumed._

The flower closed itself, cutting off the vision from Mew. Mew lowered her head again, 'Ash,' She whispered, 'The Chosen One, the Alpha Aura Guardian, or whatever you wish to be called, please, please don't end up like me. Don't fail Arceus,' She looked up towards the ceiling, 'Save us.'

'You are not a failure Mew,' A deep gruff voice said, and Mew jerked towards the doorway, and three great shapes lingered there.

Entei, Raikou, and Suicune.

Suicune stepped forward, 'The battle is not over, it has just begun.'

Raikou straightened his shoulders, 'Arceus still lives, and the Chosen One lives. Once they come together, balance can be restored. We will be saved.'

Entei, who had first spoken, trotted towards Mew, 'Arceus sent us, we were alerted of Regirock's death. We come in his place, even though our role as Protector shouldn't take place until next century.'

'Why won't Arceus speak to me!' Mew cried, 'I need him, I need advice! I call to him, but he will not respond to me!'

The Legendary Beasts glanced at another, 'Mew,' Suicune began, 'He's... upset. You did fail in your duty to protect the Amulet.'

Mew cringed at the memory of the Zoroark and Zan.

'But,' Entei added, 'He hasn't given up on you! He still needs you to guide the Alpha Aura Guardian!'

Raikou scowled, 'But you did let his life force fall into the hands of the enemy.'

Suicune glared at the Thunder Pokemon.

'Mew, we cannot wait here. Our enemies are on the move, the Chosen One stands unguided. What are your orders?' Entei asked, ignoring Raikou's comment.

Mew glanced at the gray orb. Regirock's death would not be in vain. Her previous failures didn't matter, the future of the world mattered. If the amulet was used, Arceus himself would be in danger.

'Then we will not wait,' Mew said, 'We will move foward, now.'

*/*/*/*/*/

Arceus stood in the Hall in Origin, watching Mew within the Tree of Beginnings. Disappointment flowed within him, but he would not give up on her now.

_Mew. _He thought, though no one could hear him, _I will not leave you alone. Let the trios guide you. Protect the Chosen One._ Arceus paused, using his extended sight once more, looking at the tree, _And when the time's right, you may have the tear once more._

Arceus suddenly winced, collapsing to his knees. _But, time is short. For both of us._ Arceus turned his sight to the Sinnoh region, _Chosen One, you have done much, but your biggest duty is yet to come._

_Do not fail._

* * *

**More of Mew's POV, she's not doing to well... It's sad (I really love Mew!), but the story must go on!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Last part of Riley's story:**

"_Arceus soon cried to the legendaries to retreat. If war was what Mon and man wanted, then let them have it. Let them fight it out, he said, let the surviving species be the one to have the land. So the legendaries retreated, and the fighting returned full force, and even worse than before, but Arceus and the legendaries turned a blind eye on the fighting, to the bloodshed, to the killings. _

_Riley opened his eyes, "Except for one."_

* * *

"Centuries before she had been placed as the Guardian of this land, and now she was forced to watch it be destroyed. Mew could not accept this. She went to Arceus, saying perhaps all these creatures needed was a chance to see what they could do when they worked together. They needed this opportunity. They needed to see what they had in common, not the differences.

"Arceus listened to Mew's words. He felt the truth in what she spoke and how his ideal world could come to past. Arceus agreed to give the world one more chance, but he added his own twist, a dangerous one. He was going to give a man and a Mon aura. All living had aura, yes, but he was going to give them the ability to control aura, like him and Mew. This would give them something similar, was his reasoning.

"Mew felt uncertain with this plan, but she could not refuse Arceus. She summoned two legendaries to the Tree of Beginnings, Lugia and Ho-oh. They were to search the land for a Mon and man that would be worthy to control aura- and to use that aura to stop the war.

"Lugia began his search for a worthy man, searching among the clashing armies for a strong and mighty heart. But every man Lugia found only had hatred and bloodthirst in their hearts. Lugia began to feel that his search was futile, and he abandoned his task to return to the sea.

"But before Lugia dove into the ocean, he stumbled across a village. This was the first settlement that the legendary had seen that hadn't been touched by the war. While the fear of the fighting remained, these humans didn't have the anger in their heart that the other humans had. Lugia had his hope relit, and he once again began his search for a worthy human.

"The human he found was a young boy, rapidly approaching ten years of age. Despite the war around him, this boy was cheerful, always helping the others the others within his village. 'You, young child,' Lugia whispered to himself, 'Will bring peace to this land. Do not fail, Chosen One.' And with these final words, Lugia sank into the sea.

"On the other hand, there was Ho-oh, who believed that the world had become too corrupt, and that the fighting would never cease. But he was unable to disobey direct orders from Arceus, so with lingering doubt Ho-oh set off. Searching for the corners of the world where the war had not touched the land.

"Ho-oh's search was in vain. The war had spared no one, the land was too deeply thrust into a chaotic and unbalanced state. Ho-oh, in his anger, release a stream of fire from his throat, burning the two opposing armies below. The warring people and Pokemon attempted to flee once they realized their attacker was a legendary, but Ho-oh was merciless. Both of these armies were destroyed in the sea of flames.

"Ho-oh took no pride is his triumph, for these were just one of dozens of armies. But in the burnt waste land were the two conflicting armies had been, one Pokemon survived," Riley thought for a moment, "It was a Pichu."

"The Pichu was young, but had watched these two armies become ashes right before his eyes. For the first time in the small Pokemon's life, he had truly seen the horror the war brought. The heroic stories he'd been raised on seemed only gruesome tales now.

"But Ho-oh was not blind, and could sense the Pichu. The mighty fire bird turned, ready to destroy the young Pokemon, but Ho-oh paused. He saw the change in the Pokemon's heart. _Perhaps_, Ho-oh thought, _there is hope._

"Ho-oh spared the small Pichu, in hopes that perhaps, this small Mon could bring peace to the land. As Ho-oh flew off, the first rainbow filled the sky, and the Pichu watched this wonder form. 'Peace seems far,' Ho-oh muttered, 'But not unreachable.'

"Mew was pleased with the man and Mon that Lugia and Ho-oh had chosen, but their pure hearts did not make them worthy of receiving aura. 'Bring them to the Tree,' Arceus ordered, 'So that they may be tested.'

"So as night fell upon the boy's village, Keldeo approached. He placed the boy upon his back, and whisked him away. A mighty flood arose from the ocean as they fled, washing away the village, and drowning the inhabitants.

"While Keldeo took the boy far away, Terrakion approached a small den of Pokemon within the mountains. Huddled within the cave several Pokemon cowered, including a certain Pichu. Terrakion took the sleeping Pichu away, and the pounding of his feet rumbled across the mountain. The earthquake shattered the mountain in two, crushing the remaining Mon within.

"When the man and Mon awoke, they found themselves alone in a vast desert, miles of sand filling their vision. In the distance, they could see a faded green silhouette, a Pokemon know as Virizion. In their confused and distorted state they took no notice of each other, but in a desperate hope they followed the deerling-like Pokemon across the desert. But for every step they took, Virizion took ten. Soon they were left behind in the sandy dunes.

"The boy and the Pichu were natural enemies according to the world, their whole life they had been raised to hate and to kill another. But now, for the first time in their lives, they found that they needed each other. The Pichu could smell the buried water within the desert, but only with the boy's skills and tools could they bring it to the surface. The Pichu was able to discern the edible berries from the toxic ones, but only the boy was able to remove the spines from the cactus fruit.

"Through this new, but cautious, relationship, they were able to survive in the new, harsh environment. Days stretched to week, and weeks into months. Their days became a repeating schedule, and slowly their cautiousness and defenses were slowly lowered. Fear of each other was soon replaced with the desire to survive. After several months walking side by side was common, and smiles were exchanged after a successful forging.

"And after four months, a legendary returned to the desert. Cobalion slowly approached the duo, exchanged no words by speaking or telepathy. The boy and Pichu stood ready to battle, with a bow and electricity. The Iron Will Pokemon knocked them out with a Sacred Sword before they could strike. He deposited the fallen Pokemon and boy onto his back, and whisked them way, becoming a blue blur across the desert."

"Wait," Ash interrupted the story for the first time, "You said Arceus ordered them to come to the Tree of Beginnings, so why were they left in a desert in the first place?"

Riley glared at Ash for a moment, causing him to shiver. After a moment Riley spoke, "The story I am telling you is simply pieces of history I've been told, and I what I managed to translate from ancient documents. I may be missing part of the story, or simply a mistranslation. In ancient times stories were never written down, but orally told from generation to generation. Just like rumors, these stories change the more they're told."

"Okay then," Ash crossed his arms, "So basically you're saying this story could be completely false."

A small blue pulse of aura was fired from the tip of Riley's finger. Ash ducked, barely dodging the aura. It hit the cave wall behind him, leaving a smoking black mark.

"Was that real?" Riley asked, his tone even.

"Are you crazy!?" Ash cried, glancing at the scorched wall, then back at Riley, "That could've hit me!"

Riley smiled, "But it didn't, you ducked. How do you know it was really there then?"

"Don't go all philosophical on me!" Ash huffed.

"Perhaps you'd like to see what would happen if that did hit you," Riley nodded at Aerin. The Lucario rolled her eyes, which then began to glow purple, along her paw. The same purple psychic energy then surrounded Ash's body.

"What are you doing," Ash asked, struggling against the Psychic attack, which was pinning him down.

"You see," Riley said, "Just like the aura left a mark, civilization has left a mark on the world, its hard to ignore that most region's creation stories all has the same basic history. But you must be careful, something may appear to be there," A small blue glow appeared around Riley's finger, "But you soon see that they are simply," He fired another pulse of blue aura at Ash's head, "An illusion."

Ash flinched as the pulse came rushing at him, but the Psychic held him in place. The aura hit his face, vanishing into a thin mist. Ash blinked, it didn't hurt, despite what the same attack had done to the wall behind him.

Ash glanced back at the wall, but the black mark was gone, as if it had never been there.

"Now," Riley said, standing up, "Do you see what I mean?"

"I see that you're crazy!" Ash snapped, trying to pull free of the Psychic attack.

"Honestly, calm down," Riley said, snapping his fingers, and Aerin cut off the Psychic, "Are you going to allow me to continue this story, that _you_ asked for?"

"I still don't see how this has anything to do with me."

"Then why am I even bothering telling you this story?" Riley asked, his hand becoming lit with aura once more, "Perhaps you need to truly understand what aura is about."

"No way," Ash said, standing up and taking a step back, "You're crazy. I've had enough of this aura game."

"Aura is not a game. It is a very serious subject, the very balance of the world depends on it," Riley said.

Ash stumbled as a flicker of pain ran up his spine, "Oh-no," He mouthed as his aura shifted. Another seizure was coming on. He groped for the cave wall, attempting to keep his balance as the dizzy spell came over him.

He stumbled again as he aura flared, and Riley reached out to balance him, "Don't fight it," He said, "That will make it last longer."

Ash let out a groan, attempting to reply, but his aura flared once more, and a bright blue flash overtook his vision.

* * *

Riley jerked slightly as Ash's body went limp, and the boy's full body weight collapsed into his arms.

He grunted, and slowly lowered the boy to the ground. Riley crossed his arms. Ash kept shuddering as the aura overpowered his body, the seizure quickly taking full control over Ash's body. Riley hooked his hands under the boy's arms, dragging him to the edge of the cave.

Riley slipped into his aura sight, studying the boy as he set him down. Just like he thought, the sealed aura was attempting to free itself. Several blue sparks of aura escaped from Ash's fingertips, and Riley took a step back.

A low growl caused him to turn around, and Aerin was snarling at him. He regarded the Lucario, unconcerned, and strolled back to the rock he had been sitting on earlier, pulling out a bag of trail mix from the bag propped against it, "Hungry?" He asked, holding out the food to the Lucario.

He retracted his hand as the Metal Claw came swiping down. Riley popped open the bag, grabbing a handful of the trail mix, "I still don't see why you're so upset," He nibbled on the trail mix for a minute, "You have always overreacted, but this is ridiculous."

'You're ridiculous,' Aerin snarled, her voice entering Riley's mind, 'You're just sitting here! You have the power to remove his seal, so do it!'

Riley's eyes flickered to Ash once more, "While it's acting out like this? If I removed the seal earlier he could have destroyed himself, but when its like this? That would be signing all of our death warrants."

'Or you just don't want to do it.'

"That too," Riley agreed, to Aerin's annoyance.

'Are you just going to leave him there! This isn't good for him, use your aura for once and do something!' Aerin screamed, patience breaking.

Riley shifted his gaze to Aerin, "What's gotten into you?"

'Something you don't have,' The Lucario replied haughtily, 'If you intend to use the boy then at least make sure he survives.'

Riley sighed, and turned to face Ash, his hands glowing once more with aura. Ash's body suddenly released a huge wave of aura, it struck Riley in the chest, flinging him away from the body, he let out a groan as he struck the back wall.

'Interesting,' Aerin mused, 'His aura rejects yours. At least it does in this state.'

Riley sat up, growling. A small trail of blood dripped from the back of head. He quickly stood up, ignoring the Lucario, and stormed back toward Ash's convulsing body. Another wave of aura came at Riley, but he formed a glowing blue rod in his hands. He sliced it in front of him, parting the aura attack.

The glow around his hands lit up, but now it was a deep red. Riley placed the hands on Ash's forehead, and the spasms suddenly stopped, and a red light began to glow around Ash.

'What are you doing?' Aerin cried in alarm, rushing towards the Aura Guardians, and she pulled Riley off of Ash, but the red glow around Ash didn't fade, '_What did you do to him?!'_

* * *

'Where am I?'

Ash's voice echoed around in his head, yet it didn't seem to be projected anywhere else.

Ash blinked, looking around. He was standing in a large grassy field, and tall towering cliffs seemed to surround the haven. Ash could hear the wind rustling through the air, and he could see the grass sway to the wind, yet Ash didn't feel the wind himself. He frowned, turning to take in more of his surroundings.

Ash let out a gasp as he saw the rock formation behind him. A giant, towering gray rock, nearly as tall as the Lumoise Tower. Crystals grew out of it, and moss and grassy outcrops lined the top, 'It's the-'

'-Tree of Beginnings,' A new voice finished for him, and like Ash's own voice, he heard it in his head, not with his ears.

Ash wheeled around, to see a man not standing far off. He had dark blue spiky hair, which was covered by a black hat with a yellow and blue symbol on it. He was leaning casually on a familiar staff, which was topped a crystal. A cape was draped over his shoulders, which didn't move in the wind, despite wind blowing in his surroundings. Ash stared at him, he recognized this man, even though he had never met him in person before.

'Sir Aaron!' Ash cried.

The man turned his head as if confused, but nodded, 'Yes. So you've heard of me?'

'Y-yes sir, um... I've met your Lucario, he saved my life,' Ash replied, stuttering, unsure of what was going on.

'Yes, Lucario,' Sir Aaron nodded, tapping his chin thoughtfully, 'He is a good companion.'

Ash hesitated, he was pretty sure that this was a dream.

Sir Aaron glanced at Ash, 'This is not a dream, young Guardian.'

'How did you-'

'This is part of the Psyche, a realm of thoughts. That's what we are right now, thoughts. We are experiencing another's memories.'

'So... you're not real then?' Ash asked.

'Depends on what you define "real" to be, lad. I sense that you have a powerful aura, haven't you had an experience with memory sharing before lad?' Sir Aaron asked, looking at Ash meaningly.

'Not, not really, Sir,' Ash said, looking down. He could sense the aura coming from Sir Aaron, it was the most powerful aura he had ever sensed, 'Well, I've seen time flowers, they use aura and I guess they are a bit like a memory.'

'Time flowers? Yes, I suppose that could count, they work very similar to what we are experiencing now. I assume that you are here for the same reason as me?'

'Er-'

'To see how the first Aura Guardian got his power? This is his memory after all,' Aaron continued, 'We're both in it right now.'

'This is the first Guardian's memory?' Ash asked, impressed, 'But... how are we here at the same time, I mean... you're dead.'

The Aura Guardian chuckled, 'Dead? In your time perhaps, but memories don't die. Time has no power in the Psyche, what happens just happens, it doesn't matter what part of Space or Time you come from in the matter dimension, or the anti-matter as well.'

Ash's head was spinning, not understanding a word of what Aaron was saying, 'Sir-'

'Ah,' Sir Aaron said, 'You might want to watch.'

Ash paused, listening. He could hear thundering of hooves, and he looked around. Charging towards the Tree of Beginnings was a blue goat-like creature. Its cobalt body gleamed in the sunlight as he ran.

'Cobalion,' Ash said.

The legendary paused, not far from Ash and Sir Aaron, but gave no notice of their presence. The Iron Will Pokemon deposited two creatures from its back, then ran off so fast that it only seemed like a flash of blue light for Ash.

Ash craned his head to look at what Cobalion had dropped.

It was a boy and a Pichu.


	7. Chapter 6 - Update at last!

**Sorry for the long gap between updates... It hasn't been that long, right...? Just basicly a year...**

**Sorry!**

**But I have my reasons (excuses), like usual. The main one is simply: Other fanfictions. My other fanfic, The Final Battle, has over 200 followers, so it was natural to focus on the story with the most fans, but eventually it just left this one in the dust... The next reason is also simple: Real life. I have family, I have school, and I just never updated.**

**Lastly, my lack of interest in the plot. This story was originally a rewrite of Pikachu's Revenge, but I have come a long way from that fanfiction, and no longer like much of the content that was featured in that story. So I fixed that!**

**This story is no longer a rewrite!**

**I will still be writing this story, but I will be now be vastly diverging from the plot line I set up in PR. So the whole idea of "Ash abandoning Pikachu" probably won't happen, and Grace probably won't be making an appearance here anymore. It WILL still contain many plot points though, such as the prophecy, aura, Riley's character, and other major things, but this story won't be a guaranteed rewrite. Differences will happen. Because I'm the author and I say so.**

**Okay, so now that's over, enjoy the longer needed chapter six! (If you guys are still there after all this time...)**

* * *

If Ash had to choose one word to describe the memory, it would be _boring._

Not much had happened since Cobalion had left the boy and the Pichu, (Who Ash assumed were the same boy and Pichu in the story that Riley had been telling him.) Nearly an hour had past, and the Pokemon and human were still out cold.

Sir Aaron stood not far off, watching the unconscious duo with fascination, almost with reverence. Ash saw no one else, but he could... could _sense_ presences around them. Sometimes Ash could hear whisperings, but he could never locate the presences.

He asked Sir Aaron about them. The ancient aura guardian called them 'others'. When asked for further explanations all he got was, 'Lesser beings trapped within the psyche. No concern of yours. Now watch lad, or else you'll never learn.'

All Ash had learned was that he did not have the patience for this.

Ash closed eyes, trying to sense more of these "others". The whispering seemed to solidify into words when he concentrated...

'_Frigus ... Sola ...Ubi es ...?'_ The words were not in a language that Ash knew. Eventually he gave up on trying to listen. The voices sounded sad and foreign. Listening to them made Ash tired and empty.

'Ah,' Sir Aaron said after sometime of being silent. Ash opened his eyes, looking in the direction Sir Aaron was gazing. The Pichu and boy had finally awakened. Ash quickly stepped forward, trying to get a better view.

"Fulgur, ubi sumus?" The boy asked, speaking in the same tongue as the voices Ash had heard.

"Pichu chu!" The Pichu said, shrugging. Ash noticed that it looked slightly different from the Pichus he was use too. Instead of a bright yellow fur, he had a golden-tan color. His eyes were a sharp copper, full of surprise and caution as they looked around.

"Quomodo nos terminus sursum hic?" The boy cocked his head, looking up at the Tree of Beginnings, then around at the field. Surrounding the tree and the duo was a large, natural stone cliff-like wall. Ash assumed that Cobalion had climbed over it, but he doubted that the boy and Pokemon could pull off the same task.

'What are they saying?' Ash asked quietly to Sir Aaron, since he seemed to understand the language. In reply Sir Aaron grabbed Ash's shoulder, and the boy's words seemed to untangle. He still heard the strange language, but the meaning seemed to come to Ash's mind.

"Chu!"

"Yes," The boy replied, "This is not desert. I don't understand how we got here," The boy's hand went to his shoulder, unslinging a bow. There were seven arrows left in his quiver, he drew one, notching it into his bow, "If we are careful perhaps we could go to the tree-rock. We could climb and look for way around cliffs," The boy's words didn't seem steady.

"Pi," Pichu said, slinking into the grass, heading towards the Tree. The boy followed after it, keeping an eye all around. Ash couldn't help notice that the boy kept glancing at the Pichu, like it could turn and attack him at any moment.

'Does the boy have a name?' Ash asked. Riley had never called the boy anything. Sir Aaron glanced down at Ash cooly, with that same look people would give someone interrupting a movie. Ash lowered his head, those blue eyes seemed to bore into him.

'The legends call him "Alpha", while the Pichu was called "Omega", but those titles they earned and were given to them by Mew. Their original names are lost to history,' Sir Aaron explained. The corner of Ash's mouth twitched, he found it strange that someone from _his_ history lessons was talking about history.

'Omega? That's a lowly title,' Ash said, frowning.

Aaron shook his head, 'First and last, alpha and omega. Everything in the world lies between these two things. They protect the world from harm, they protect everything between them. Come now, or else we shall lose them,' Sir Aaron set off at a brisk pace, following the boy and Pichu. Ash sighed, if they were in a memory did they really have to walk? 'The psyche is just as vast as our world, even bigger. It mirrors the thoughts of our world, so it is natural that it would take on qualities of our world,' Sir Aaron explained as if reading Ash's thoughts, 'Now keep up.'

That was an order. Ash sighed again, he supposed that Sir Aaron had held a high level of power during his time and was used to giving comands. Ash increased his speed, falling into a step behind Sir Aaron as they followed the duo ahead of them. They came closer to the Tree, which was towering over them, higher than ever.

"_AARRTIII"_ A loud screech echoed overhead. Everyone's gaze turned skyward, and they could see a large white shape flying at them. The boy and the Pichu scattered as the creature swooped at them. The creature rose, talon's empty, but was wheeling around for another attack.

'An Articuno!' Ash cried at the sight of the legendary, though this one had much lighter colored feathers than the one he and Charizard had defeated once.

'It guards the Tree,' Sir Aaron explained, watching the scene with awe. Ash frowned, he had thought that the legendary golems did that.

"Lightning!" The boy cried, aiming his bow. The Pichu jumped out of the grass as the ice bird swooped low again. The mouse released electricity from his cheeks, shocking the bird. It didn't seem to do anything to the Articuno, but the ice type rose up into the air again, waiting to come around again, "Lightning, try to hit it again! Try to get it slow, then I will shoot!"

"Chu!" The Pichu said, sending another electric attack up into the air. It hit the Articuno, but once again the ice type seemed unaffected. Ash shook his head, Charizard was fully evolved and one of his strongest Pokemon, and he could barely beat an Articuno with a type advantage. This little Pichu wouldn't stand a chance.

'Underestimating the founders of aura, are you?' Sir Aaron asked without looking away from the battle, 'Shame to see a younger generation losing faith.'

Ash turned to face Sir Aaron, despite the Articuno diving once more, 'Okay, are you reading my thoughts or something?'

Aaron shook his head, 'You are poorly trained in aura, aren't you boy? We are in the psyche, a realm of thoughts. We aren't physically here, but our aura and memories are. I am simply communicating on another level, and I am able to see your thoughts because of your lack of skill of guarding your mind. _Now watch.'_

The boy released his arrow from the bow, and the arrow sped through the air. The head pierced the Articuno's wings, causing the bird to let out a loud screech as scarlet blood spread across its wing. Ash covered his mouth, feeling sick. The boy and the Pichu on the other hand didn't even seem to notice. The small electric type used the moment to fire a Thunder Wave, paralyzing the mighty bird. The Articuno lost control over her flight as the paralysis took over, and she crashed into the ground.

"Lightning, hit it now with your thunder body!" The boy cried, and Ash only found himself confused at the boy's wording. The Pichu charged forward, his whole body becoming surrounded in a power electric current. Ash immediately recognized the attack as Volt Tackle, the most powerful electric attack the Pichu line could learn.

The Pichu slammed into the fallen Articuno as the boy notched another arrow. Ash cringed, knowing that humans and Pokemon were at war in this time, but he still didn't want to watch this. The boy pulled back his bow, aiming, but before he could let the arrow fly the Articuno rose to her feet, glaring at her attackers. Her uninjured wing gleamed with metallic energy, and she slashed at the Pichu with a Steel Wing. The boy gritted his teeth, withdrawing his aim, obviously not wanting to hit the electric type with his arrow.

Pichu groaned as he was sent flying back with the attack. Steel type moves may have not been very effective on him, but the sheer force of the attack had been more than enough. Even with an arrow in her wing, the Articuno spread her wings, rising up into the air once more. She lacked the same speed as before due to the Thunder Wave, but the mighty Ice Beam she released towards the boy was enough to show she was far from down.

"Chu!" Pichu cried as the Ice Beam came at the boy. The Pichu released a desperate Thunderbolt at the Ice Beam, shattering the ice into thousands of shards right before the attack reached the boy. He stood there, stunned, as the Pichu wheeled around, releasing one more Thunderbolt up at the Articuno. She let out a cry, but only rose higher into the air, ready to come back around. The Pichu huffed, then raced towards the boy, "Chupi pi chu chu?"

The boy stared at it as it came towards him, "Lightning... You saved me?" The boy seemed stunned by this, even though they had been fighting side by side this whole time.

The Pichu stopped short, "Chu?"

"Lightning... We no longer in desert, if I had died it wouldn't matter- you don't need me anymore," The boy said slowly, "Ice bird surely would have taken your side, yet you protected me," He cocked his head, "Why?"

The Pichu sat still, as if trying to figure out why as well, then he pricked his ears in alarm. The Pichu spun around, cheeks sparking, the Articuno was still coming.

The boy re-aimed his bow at the legendary, letting an arrow fly as the bird came at them in a steep dive. The arrow whizzed past the Articuno's head, missing by only a foot. The boy let out a curse, then turn and ran while Pichu took off with a Quick Attack. The Ice Beam blasted where he and the boy had been before, covering the ground with ice.

"Chu!" The Pichu cried, firing one more Thunderbolt. The Articuno only cringed, firing another Ice Beam. The attack hit the small Pichu in the chest, launching him back.

"Lightning!" The boy cried, and he fired an arrow, which lodged itself in the Articuno's leg. She let out an ear piercing shirek, and Ash's hands flew up to cover his ears, but it made no difference.

'Heh,' Aaron chuckled, 'That won't work here, lad.'

"Pichupi!" Pichu whimpered, trying to get the ice off his chest. The boy jogged towards the mouse as the Articuno nipped at her leg, trying to get the arrow out. She plucked it out, taking several feathers with it. The ice type glared down, letting out one more Ice Beam. The boy dropped his bow, running and scooping up the Pichu, rolling out of the way of the Ice Beam. They huffed, trying to catch their breaths, and the boy quickly released the Pichu.

"... Just returning the favor..." The boy muttered, looking up at the sky. The Articuno was flying up once more, obviously getting ready to come back around, "Lightning," He panted, "We won't defeat ice bird like this. An arrow might take it out if it lands in heart or head, but I can't get good shot. Your lighting power is strong, but not enough on its own. I have plan."

"Chu?" Pichu asked as the boy reached for his fallen bow, eyes still glued to the sky.

"When ice bird comes down we avoid ice attack, then it will swoop low. Then I will fire arrow at it. When I do you fire your lightning, but at my arrow. When arrow hits the bird will be lightninged and shot. Perhaps that will defeat it," The boy explained. Ash strained his ears, trying to make sense at the poorly worded plan. It seemed the boy wanted to shoot an electrified arrow at the Articuno.

Pichu cocked his head, thinking, then got the same look in his eyes as Ash's Pikachu at the height of the battle, "Pi!" He cried, nodding. His cheeks were sparking, then took off across the valley with a Quick Attack. The boy reached for his fourth arrow, notching it in his bow.

"Cuno!" The Articuno screamed, coming down in a steep dive, both wings in a Steel Wing attack. The arrow in her wing had been tossed a side, only leaving a trail of scarlet blood covering her body.

The boy threw himself to the side as she came at them, and the Pichu released a Thunderbolt. The Articuno landed on the ground, snarling. The Pichu came darting forward with a Quick Attack-speeded-Volt Tackle, slamming into the Articuno's side. He faded back into the grass, slinking away as the Articuno tried to locate her attacker.

The boy quickly used the moment while she was distracted, falling back while trying to get a clear shot. The Articuno opened her wings, ready to get back into the air.

"Lightning!" The boy cried as the Articuno rose into the air, and she turned towards the boy as he yelled. He let the arrow fly, and a burst of electrical energy surged up from the field, surrounding the arrow. The projectile hissed through the air, soaring right at the Articuno's chest.

The bird's eyes went wide as the arrow pierced her chest, and she froze. Literally.

As soon as the arrow hit her heart, the Articuno began to change. Feathers turned to a gleaming ice starting at the chest. Not her simply her being incased in ice, but her whole being going from flesh and bone to a transparent-icy silhouette. The Articuno-shaped ice form fell to the ground, shattering into thousands of shards of ice.

The boy stood there for a moment, stunned and huffing, then a small grin spread over his face.

"We did it!" He cried, "Lightning- we did it!"

"Chu!" The Pichu cheered, darting towards him with a Quick Attack. A broad smile lined both of their faces as they hiked towards where the Articuno had fallen.

The ice had all melted away by the time they had reached the spot, but lying in the muddy remains laid three objects. The bent arrow that had slain the Articuno, a pure white feather, and a icy blue orb.

Ash stared at the orb as the boy picked it up, 'I- I've seen that before!' Ash cried, 'In the Orange Islands! It was on the island with Articuno- in my time!'

Aaron studied the orb, 'It is the remains of the legendary, the host for its soul.'

Ash watched as the boy and the Pichu picked up the feather and the arrow, then turned, heading towards the Tree. Ash wondered if the memory was over, but he got his answer as Sir Aaron followed the duo. Ash let out a long sigh, then trailed after them half heartedly.

* * *

'_Interesting,' Aerin mused, 'His aura rejects yours. At least it does in this state.'_

_Riley sat up, growling. A small trail of blood dripped from the back of head. He quickly stood up, ignoring the Lucario, and stormed back toward Ash's convulsing body. Another wave of aura came at Riley, but he formed a glowing blue rod in his hands. He sliced it in front of him, parting the aura attack._

_The glow around his hands lit up, but now it was a deep red. Riley placed the hands on Ash's forehead, and the spasms suddenly stopped, and a red light began to glow around Ash._

'_What are you doing?' Aerin cried in alarm, rushing towards the aura guardians, and she pulled Riley off of Ash, but the red glow around Ash didn't fade, '__What did you do to him?!'_

"That's better," Riley muttered. Aerin still had a grip on his upper arm. She formed a Bone Rush in her paws, jabbing one end under her trainer's neck.

'What. Did. You. Do.' Aerin snarled, revealing her sharp canine teeth.

Riley seemed unconcerned by her aggressiveness, "You're the one that said to do something, so I did. I transferred his aura. Temporarily of course," Aerin opened her mouth to say something, "To the psyche, before you ask. And no, it won't hurt him. Maybe he'll actually learn something."

'Or maybe he'd learn something if you had actually taken the time to teach him!' Aerin screamed through her aura.

Riley pushed the Bone Rush off of his neck, standing up. He jerked his arm out of his Lucario's grip, glaring at her, "He's not my responsibility."

'Yes he is!' She screamed as he turned, 'And maybe you should actually do something about it!'

He wheeled around to face her, "You keep telling me to do something, yet you get upset whenever I do! What exactly do you want me to do?!"

Aerin gritted her teeth, 'Tell him the truth. Tell Ash the freaking truth! No vague hints or long stories around it, tell him everything!'

Trainer and Pokemon glared at each other for a moment, neither backing down. After several minutes Riley turned away.

"Go get Penny," He simply said.

Aerin let out a snarl, then spun sharply on her heel, heading towards the cave door.

* * *

**All Latin is from Google Translate, so if it is wrong then sorry! Here's the translations I got though:**

Frigus - Cold

Sola - Alone

Ubi es - Where are you?

Fulgur ubi sumus - Lightning, where we are?

Quomodo nos terminus sursum hic - How did we end up here?

* * *

**Don't worry, this whole "trip to the psyche" won't last forever. While Alpha and Omega (The boy and the Pichu), do face all the legendary birds, I won't make you guys read all that (or me write all that!), I'll be cutting straight to the important part of the memory, then Ash will regain consciousness, then the plot will be fully underway!**

**Also, since you guys had to wait so long for an update, you guys can choose Ash's main team for the story! So which of his Pokemon would you like Ash to have in this story?**


End file.
